Day 9 - Mile 1632 7 measly miles.

I woke up tired today. In fact I was still sleeping at 6:30 when a bird miscalculated and hit my hammock by mistake. At least I think it was by mistake. Anywoo I did roll out of bed and got started walking about 7:45. Kinda late for me. That was to be the theme of the day. Slow, and plodding. I can’t quite believe I only made 7 miles today but I was dragging every step of the way. I imagine it could have something to do with the 14+ miles I did the day before. Yesterday I was running on adrenaline because I couldn’t stop, as there was no place for me to camp. The canyon I was climbing up was steep and narrow. Whatever the reason, every step I took today was an effort. 

Oh I just did the calculation of elevation gained today. 3,322’. That could have something to do with my sluggishness. Ok. I guess I don’t feel so bad. 

I will say I was very happy to get out of that canyon. It was close and steep and dark. Not my favorite kind of place to hang out, I felt almost claustrophobic. So I was relieved to climb out of Grinder Canyon and I have the fervent wish we never meet again. 

I did enter Marble Mountain Wilderness today. This promises to be a very pretty area. 

An update on the poison oak saga, so far so good. I’ve been diligent about trying not to touch my pants and shoes but when I do, I either wash my hands or use a wet wipe to remove any potential oils I might have gotten on me. This might seem a bit extreme on my part but I just got over a bout where I had it on my eyes and face. I don’t want to go back there. 

I love the openness of the terrain I am in now. And the flowers are stunning. Some old tried and true ones but some I’ve never seen and don’t know the names of. Let’s see if you all do. 

Plus there were tons of berry bushes in flower. This whole area will be prime bear encounter area come fall. Bears love those berries. 

My original goal for today was Paradise Lake, which is 5 miles farther up the trail. When trying to decide whether or not to stop early I told myself if there was water at Buckhorn Spring then I could stop early. Otherwise I’d have to go on because of water issues. Lucky me. 

What this means for the next three days is that I must average 12 miles each day. Tomorrow should be fine as there isn’t too much elevation change throughout the day. Saturday it’s supposed to rain all day so that could be a challenge. I only hope it doesn’t rain when I’m setting up or breaking down camp. That gets tricky. 

It’s only 5:17 pm and I’m enveloped in my hammock, dinner done and set for the night. I’m going to do some serious recovery tonight and hit the ground running tomorrow. Or, walking with vigor and purpose to my next destination. 🤣